Reading the City | Brussels Citywalk: Bookstores & Green Spaces
Stumbled upon a perfect citywalk route—just under 1km but packed with enough charm to fill an entire afternoon. Route: 📚 Filigranes Bookstore → 🌳 Egmont Park → 🏛️ Square du Petit Sablon → ⛪ Notre-Dame du Sablon → 🎨 TASCHEN Store 📚 Filigranes Bookstore Relocated to a spacious stone building with multiple floors—brighter and more inviting than ever! Mostly French books, but also a great selection of art, bestsellers, comics, and English titles. ✨ My highlight: Spent ages browsing art books on architecture, cities, food, and florals. Almost bought Braem - VUB—a stunning book about VUB's modernist campus design (one of Brussels' rare American-style universities!). 🌳 Egmont Park A hidden urban oasis, just steps from the bookstore. Enter through an arched passageway between SCABAL and Balenciaga—it feels like discovering a secret garden! ✨ Why I loved it: Serene lawns perfect for sunbathing Cozy café for snacks & reading Whimsical Peter Pan statue (yes, really!) Clever elevation changes creating intimate nooks (spotted two artists sketching in one!) 🏛️ Square du Petit Sablon A neo-Renaissance masterpiece with: ⛲ Ornate fountains 🗿 48 bronze statues (each representing a historic trade) 🌷 Symmetrical flower beds leading to a central monument The level of detail is mind-blowing—every corner tells a story! ⛪ Notre-Dame du Sablon A Gothic jewel in central Brussels. Stained glass casts colorful shadows on dark stone floors—so peaceful yet dramatic. 🎨 TASCHEN Store Brussels The grand finale: less "bookstore," more contemporary art gallery. Every book is displayed like a museum piece—flip through art monographs, photography collections, and design tomes. Final thoughts: This route stitches together centuries of culture—from medieval churches to modernist bookshelves. The perfect way to steal a half-day of serenity in the city. 📍 Egmont Park #BrusselsDiaries #CityWalks #BookstoreCrawl #BelgiumTravel #ArchitectureLovers #HiddenGems #ArtAndTravel #SlowTravel
